The Connecticut Airport Authority is hoping to acquire a roughly 19-acre parcel next to Bradley International Airport that's currently owned by United Technologies Corp.

UTC said it is not currently marketing the parcel, located adjacent to the airfield between state Route 20 and Park Road, near the airport's Runway 6-24, but the airport says it's negotiating for the property.

"We are still interested in the parcel, and we are still in the process of discussing specifics with UTC," CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon said.

In the short term, CAA anticipates using the site as a staging area for construction equipment when it starts construction on a ground transportation center, a project expected to be completed about 2021.

After that, "we can start looking towards the potential of developing the site for other purposes," Dillon said.

UTC's parcel was formerly used as a recreation area for Hamilton Sundstrand employees who worked at the nearby facility that's currently a UTC Aerospace Systems site. There is still a picnic pavilion on the property and UTC uses the property for equipment storage, UTC said.